A Dixie County deputy stopped a car on June 29 at about 2 p.m. on Northeast Highway 349 for traveling 70 mph in a 60 mph speed zone. During the course of the traffic stop, the deputy noticed that a male passenger appeared to be acting nervously and was holding a black backpack.

After several weeks of investigation, Dixie County sheriff’s investigators arrested a 44-year-old Chiefland resident in connection with a child abuse investigation that began in April of this year.

According to the complaint, Lisa M. Strat was an acquaintance of the family whose minor children were the alleged victims. During the course of the investigation, interviews along with medical exams were conducted and enough information was learned to obtain a warrant.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi joined federal authorities including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Personnel Management and the Food and Drug Administration to announce the charges of 73 South Florida residents for their alleged participation in various schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid out of more than $262 million.